seely



SMITH & SEELY.

Straw Cutter.

No. 9,847. Patented July 12, 1853.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

I. 1?. SMITH, OF ROCHESTER, AND O. W. SEELY, OF ALBANY,

O. W. SEELY.

NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO STRAW-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,847, dated July 12, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ITHAMAR P. SMITH, of the city of Rochester, and ORAN W. SEELY, of the city of Albany, State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Method of Constructing the Cutting Apparatus of Machines for the Cutting of Fodder for Cattle, commonly called Straw-Cutters; and we declare the following specifi cation, with the drawings hereto annexed as part of the same, to be a full and perfect description thereof.

Figure 1, represents a perspective view of the end frame of a straw cutter containing a part of the cutting apparatus and Fig. 2 represents a front view of the same with the entire cutting apparatus in place.

Similar letters in both figures denote the same part of the apparatus.

A A A A is the cutter frame attached to the feed box of a straw cutter in the usual manner. A portion of the hither upright of the frame is represented as cut away to show a part of the apparatus that would otherwise be concealed from view. On the inner side near the back edge of each upright and opposite the mouth of the feed box a mental guide a a is firmly secured to the frame. This guide has longitudinally through its center a groove 7) b in which the knife frame (to be described) can slide freely up and down. Near the upper inner edge at 0 a small semi-circular cut is taken out of the edge of the metal, and lower down at f the metal projects outwardly from the face of the slide so as to form a shoulder having a slight inclination of its upper surface upward toward the front, for purposes hereafter explained.

g g is a metal frame whose form is indicated by the drawing. It is represented as standing back a small distance from its bed, in order to show the apparatus by which it is connected with the bed and adjusted for service. From the upper of its sides project a couple of axes or trunnions h it, fitted to lie easy in the cut 0 so as to give a slight play up and down therein. Near the lower part of the frame, under these trunnions and cast solid with the frame are two hollow ears or boxes 2', 2', within which lie the ends of two spiral springs a; m which springs pass into and lie within a cavity made for that purpose within the uprights of the frame. Rods pass from the said boxes through the springs and upright terminatbe drawn up firmly and adjusted in the metal guide a, a. The bottom of the frame g, g, at its lower corners is so proportioned that when the trunnions h, h, lie on the bottom of the cut 0 the outer lower edge of the frame shall just lie upon the lower edge of the shoulder The consequence of this is that when the frame is pressed forward by the action of the screws 70 is it will at the same time slightly rise upon the upward slope of j, thereby keeping firm at its base. The front edges of this frame are faced truly level to receive the play of the edge of the knife as it traverses up and down.

The knife is represented at Fig. 2, K. Its shape as to its cutting edge is substantially shown in the drawing like the letter W reversed and the outer line extended thus M. It is secured in a stiff metal frame at m m so arranged to leave space enough between the edge of the knife and its lower frame or bar to permit the fodder to be cut to pass'freely through it.

To the lower bar is attached the connecting rod 0 by means of which the motion of a crank is applied to the frame.

The knife frame moves within the grooves Z) Z) in the metal guides.

When the knife is in its place the frame 9 g is adjusted to its proper posit-ion by the screws 7c 7c, and its lower edge drawn up until it presses firmly against the blade of the knife. It will be observed that when so drawn up the action of the springs not only keep the knife snugly to its place but in case any obstacle as a nail or piece of wire or other similar resisting hard body should interpose between the blade and the frame saves the blade from injury, by the yielding of the springs and consequent separation of the blade from each other.

The arrangement of the metallic guide in combination with the knife-frame, and knife formed as herein specified, and, with the frame against whose front edge the knife is intended to play; the said last mentioned frame to be adjusted to its place by springs and screws, contained in hollow bOXes or ears and by trunnions and shoulclers substantially in the manner set forth in this specification.

I. P. SMITH. O. W. SEELY. 

